Sea of Love
by Regina Nox
Summary: Hermione can't help but notice she's having a strange week. An alternative take on the 'marriage law' trope (Dramione endgame)
1. The Calm

**I. The Calm**

Michael Corner was the first of them.

It had been just another typical Monday at the Ministry for Hermione when her assistant told her that a Michael Corner was here to see her. He was an auror, thus his presence wasn't entirely unusual, but it still was a bit unexpected. They had remained on friendly terms over the years, she had talked with him either at the occasional D.A. reunion, or when Harry invited her to come out with the aurors for drinks (there was quite the overlap for both occasions). But she had no idea as to what could have prompted his visit to her office.

"Send him in," Hermione responded through the magical intercom.

"Hermione!" Michael greeted her enthusiastically as he entered her office. "Sorry to disturb you. It's just that I was supposed to have lunch with Terry, but he bailed for some meeting that came up. Something about snitches malfunctioning. Anyway, I have an extra sandwich on my hands if you're interested."

She checked her watch. "It's noon already?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, I wasn't sure who to give it to, but then I remembered how Harry is always complaining that you never remember to bring lunch."

That was true, mostly because she never really got hungry during lunch, but she knew better than to correct him. She had managed to curb some of her swotty tendencies over the years (key word being 'some').

Instead she smiled at the handsome Ravenclaw. "Oh Michael, that is so thoughtful of you to think of me."

He beamed as he pulled a wrapped sandwich out of the plastic bag he was holding, and handed it to her.

When Hermione noticed that Michael didn't seem to be in any particular rush, she offered for him to stay and have lunch with her. He graciously accepted, and the two of them enjoyed a pleasant meal together.

* * *

Tuesday it was Theodore Nott of all people.

Hermione entered the Auror Headquarters to fetch Harry for their weekly lunch date when she was greeted by Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott.

"You just missed him," Blaise informed her when she approached them. He shared a desk with Harry as they were partners in the field. "It seems as though the rumor mill has decided Mrs. Potter must be pregnant and some reporters tried to sneak in to get a quote."

She frowned at the news. "Again?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Apparently. So Potter made himself scarce. He said to tell you he can meet you tomorrow if you're free."

"Thanks Blaise," she said, nodding.

"You are very welcome," he said before adding, "Oh, before you go, I wanted to ask you if you knew anything about the rumors regarding some piece of legislation the Wizengamot is supposedly about to pass."

Hermione's brows furrowed. As Head of the Public Policy Office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she should have heard something.

"No," she answered, shaking her head. "Why? What have you heard?"

The auror leaned back in his chair. "Only that it's being kept under wraps because it would cause some uproar and no one wants to deal with the blow back until the thing has been passed," Blaise supplied. "Maybe they're finally freeing all of the house elves." He smirked at her when she smacked him on the shoulder.

"Hilarious."

"Oi, Granger," Nott spoke up. "If you've got a moment, I actually have some questions about elves rights. If you're still into that."

Hermione knew that she should go back to work now that her lunch date had been cancelled. But she had a prominent pureblood wizard in front of her _voluntarily_ asking about elves rights. She couldn't resist.

So that was how she ended up spending the rest of her lunch break discussing the various issues regarding the current state of elvish welfare with Nott. Or Theo, as he insisted he called her.

"You use Blaise's first name," he pointed out, as he stood up from the chair across from her desk. They had moved the conversation to her office when Blaise had complained their debate wasn't conducive to him tracking down a wizard who had started a forest fire in protest to pollution caused by muggles.

"Yeah, and that took a few months after he and Harry got paired up," Hermione explained.

Theo raised an eyebrow. "So what you're saying is that I have to earn it?" His eyes, green but darker than Harry's, glittered mischievously.

She eyed him speculatively. "Are you flirting with me, Nott?" Not once in their discussion had it seemed like he had been anything other than genuinely interested in trying to understand her perspective regarding the rights of elves. Actually, he had been a pleasure to converse with as he kept an open mind, but still challenged some of her points. And he was a pleasure to look at as well–-he really had the face of a male model. It was no exaggeration: the combination of his prominent cheekbones and strong jawline was dangerous quite frankly. That and there was something about his eyes that she found intriguing–it was as if they held some kind of inside joke that she wasn't in on yet, but could be.

He just smirked at her.

"Maybe." Still eyeing her, he opened the door. "I'll see you around, _Hermione_ ," he said as he winked at her before exiting her office.

* * *

On Thursday, Michael made a reappearance, citing how he had enjoyed their lunch on Monday, and that he would love to do it again sometime. While his words were certainly flattering, something felt a bit off. Sure, she had a fine time with him, but that was it: fine. Of course she didn't tell him that, and merely made a vague agreement.

Later that morning she ran into Terry Boot, who happened to be in need of a new book and wanted to know if she had any recommendations.

And then it was during the afternoon when she met Adrian Pucey, who had heard she was the person to talk to in regards to the recent bill addressing discrimination towards werewolves in the workplace. He was also a lawyer, although he didn't work for the ministry, he had taken on a case related to the manner (he couldn't divulge specifics to protect the identity of his client). Before he left, he thanked her with a rather charming smile and asked if she would be interested in getting drinks on Saturday. She accepted.

* * *

Instead of flooing home when she left the office (at seven to make up for all of the time she hadn't spent actually working), Hermione decided to pay a visit to 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Oh," she said awkwardly when she walked into the dining room to find Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Susan sharing a meal. Her friends looked somewhat guilty when they saw her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude on your couples night. I'll just be going then."

"Don't be ridiculous," Ginny said. "You're here, why not join us?"

"Because I wasn't invited?"

Ron snorted, "Only because you don't have a boyfriend or husband at the moment, nor do you have an avid interest in Quidditch. It's not like we planned this with the intention of avoiding you, we just wanted to talk about things we happen to like or have in common that you don't. Obviously you're welcome." That was fair, her friends should be allowed the freedom to discuss subjects that bored her tears. It was actually kind of thoughtful in an unconventional way.

"Stay Hermione," Susan pleaded.

"We insist," Ginny said as she physically dragged Hermione to the table. Harry scooted over to make room, and she ended up sitting between the Potters.

"Thanks, sorry I really didn't mean to intrude," she promised. They assured her that she hadn't.

"Wait, it's a weeknight," Ron stated. "And you're not in your office or at home?" He eyed her skeptically. "Where did you brew the polyjuice potion during our second year?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she still answered, "Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. And I'm not always in either the office or my apartment during weekdays." Her friends just looked at her blankly. "Alright fine."

"So to what do we owe the honor?" Harry teased.

Hermione bit her lip. "Do I look different? Different than I usually look?" She received more than one confused expression.

"No, you look the same," Ron supplied. "Is this one of those trick questions and you've gotten a haircut? Oh, I know what it is: you're wearing a new bra!"

Susan let out a bark of laughter while Hermione frowned at him.

"You're lucky your wife has an odd sense of humor," she informed him, wagging her index finger. "Because I'm quite confident that on the top of the list of things never to do in the presence of your wife is 'comment on your ex-girlfriend's boobs'."

"Ex-fiancé," Harry corrected with a wry grin.

"I like to pretend we never had been that deluded about our relationship to believe marriage was ever a good idea," she muttered.

Across the table Ron raised his wineglass to her.

"You were so lucky Audrey gave birth to Molly a week after you called off the wedding," Ginny reminisced. "Who knows how long mum would have been in hysterics otherwise."

" _Anyway_ ," Hermione said, too eager to abandon this tangent. "So nothing about me seems any different than normal?" Her friends shook their heads.

"Why do you ask?" Harry said.

She sighed. "You lot have to promise not to laugh."

"Nope," Susan, Ron, and Ginny said simultaneously.

"Whatever," Hermione huffed. "So I've had a bit of a strange week."

"How strange are we talking here?" Harry asked. "'Dumbledore's welcoming speech' type of strange or more of a 'there's a giant three headed dog, and-or a centuries old giant snake in the castle' strange?"

She paused thoughtfully. "I would classify it as 'accidentally transforming into a semi-cat' strange."

"We did not have a normal childhood," Ron muttered, shaking his head.

"Go on," Harry prompted.

"Since Monday it seems I've, uh, received a bit more attention than usual from the male population," she said.

"If you're talking about Blaise–" Harry started, but Hermione interrupted him.

"I'm not. Although now that I think about it, even he has been even more flirty than usual."

When Hermione came back on Wednesday to collect Harry for lunch, she had to wait for him to finish some paperwork. In the meantime, Blaise kept her entertained with innuendos and salacious comments about her appearance, specifically about her 'arse in that skirt'. He even alluded to their previous friends with benefits arrangement from a couple of years ago.

"Wait," Ginny interjected. "So basically you're complaining that men are paying more attention to you than usual?"

"I'm not complaining," Hermione amended. "I just feel somewhat unsettled by the suddenness and frequency of it all."

"I think we need a bit more detail," Susan requested.

"Alright then," Hermione began. "On Monday, Michael Corner came to my office at lunch with this whole story of having an extra sandwich and needing to hand it off, and then stayed to eat with me–"

"Scandalous," uttered Ron. She ignored him.

"Then on Tuesday, not only did Theodore Nott voluntarily ask me about my perspective on elvish welfare, but when I called him out for a flirtatious comment he made, he basically confirmed it and then winked at me."

"Nothing gets Hermione more hot and bothered than discussing elf rights," Ron stage whispered to Susan while smirking across the table at his ex-fiancé.

"Thank Merlin I had a break from it Wednesday, I'm starting to fall behind with all of these... masculine distractions. With the exception of Blaise laying it on quite thickly. Then today, Michael asked if we could have lunch on Monday again. Later Terry bloody Boot entered the mix by asking me if I had any good book recommendations, and then he recommended a book and he insisted on coming by my office and dropping it off so I can borrow it." Hermione stopped to take a breath.

"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Ginny suggested.

"Oh, I'm not done. Because then Adrian Pucey, who was in Slytherin and a year above us, and who I never had spoken to until today, came by my office with the convenient excuse that he wanted to get a better understanding of that werewolf bill I helped pass recently–he's a lawyer. And then after he asked me if I wanted to go out for drinks on Saturday night."

"What did you say?" Ginny asked. The rest of her friends had their faces scrunched up as if they were trying to solve this odd little mystery.

"Well, he really is quite good looking, and charming to boot," Hermione said. "So I said yes."

"Ok," Harry said. "The timing is a bit peculiar."

"Maybe you're giving off crazy pheromones?" Susan suggested.

"Maybe someone's spiking these blokes drinks with love potion to make them lust after you," Ron offered.

Hermione actually considered it. That would somewhat make sense.

"Wait, is Terry Boot a pureblood?" Harry asked thoughtfully. He had on the familiar expression he wore whenever he thought something was afoot. Which occurred more often than was probably healthy for him. Ginny had completely given up on throwing him surprise parties.

Susan nodded, "Yes, why?"

Hermione's eyes widened in realization. "All of them are purebloods."

* * *

The next day, after Terry dropped off the book he had mentioned and then suggested they discuss it sometime over drinks, Hermione made a beeline for the Auror Headquarters.

She stopped in her tracks when she recognized a familiar figure standing by Blaise's desk. Only when Michael gave her an eager wave did she resume her mission.

"Oh hey Granger," Blaise said when he saw her approaching. Malfoy immediately swung around to face her. Hermione couldn't remember the last time she had seen her childhood nemesis, probably at some fundraiser gala. They ignored each other for the most part, but exchanged pleasantries whenever they were forced to interact.

He gave her a polite, curt nod. "Granger."

"Malfoy," she replied evenly as she returned the gesture.

"Potter's on an assignment at the moment, but if you have a message for him, I can relay it," Blaise offered. He then turned to Malfoy, narrowed his eyes, and pointed a finger at him. "And before you say anything: no, I'm not the Golden Trio's bitch. I just happen to be a gentleman, unlike you."

Hermione couldn't help but snort. "That's debatable. Anyway, I actually came to see you Blaise."

He gave her his Cheshire Cat smile. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

She stole a glance at Malfoy from the corner of her eye. She hadn't intended on having an audience, but if Blaise knew something, then Malfoy probably did too. Especially considering they were both mates with Theo.

"What the fuck is going on?"

Blaise blinked at her while Malfoy snickered.

"Language Granger," the auror admonished.

"What the bloody fuck is going on, Blaise?" Hermione reiterated.

His expression transformed into one of utmost innocence. Bloody Slytherins. "I have no idea of what you could possibly be referring to."

"Damnit Blaise." She slammed her hands onto his desk; he didn't even flinch. "Since Monday, four pureblood wizards have suddenly shown an interest in me. One of them being your mate, Nott. Given the persistence of the other men, I'm surprised he isn't here to ask me if I'm interested in discussing my opinions regarding the treatment of squibs over drinks sometime next week.

The corners of Blaise's mouth twitched.

"Four already? Well aren't they working fast," Malfoy drawled. "Theo was right."

Hermione turned to look up at Malfoy and glared at him. "Theo was right about what? What do you know, Malfoy?"

He had the audacity to smirk at her as he met her glare head on, his own grey eyes glittering with amusement. "Oh, Granger," he replied smoothly as he reached out and captured an errant curl between his long fingers. To make her week somehow more weird, he played with it–tugging on it gently, twirling it around his index finger. Even stranger, she felt her heartbeat speed up. "I could tell you, but where's the fun in that?" He tucked the lock behind her ear.

She didn't miss the silent exchange between Malfoy and Blaise. She also had no idea what it could mean.

"Blaise, as my friend," she tried, turning back to the auror, and distracting herself from her unsettling interaction with the other Slytherin. "If you know something about this weird behavior, please tell me."

At that he gave her a genuinely sympathetic expression. Or it could be another mask for all she knew.

"I would if I could, Granger."

She sighed, exasperated at her utter lack of results. "Blink twice if I've been chosen by some prophecy to be the sacrifice in order to ensure the longevity of pureblood legacies. Or something along those lines."

His face didn't even twitch.

"That only applies if you're a virgin. Oh c'mon Blaise," Malfoy added somewhat joyfully. Suddenly she felt the urge to punch him like she had in third year. "You could at least warn her that it's only going to get worse after today."

Hermione frowned at the blond Slytherin. "You're saying even more pureblood wizards will come on to me?"

Malfoy nodded confidently. "If this week was any indication. But don't worry your pretty little head about it Granger. I'm sure you'll understand come tomorrow."

"What's happening tomorrow?" She ignored that he called her pretty, dismissing the ludicrous notion that he would ever be among the wizards suddenly pursuing her.

"If we told you, you would blab your big Gryffindor mouth, and we can't have that," he explained.

"This isn't some elaborate Slytherin-pureblood prank?"

"Yeah, like we would engage the most capable member of the Golden Trio in some cruel prank," Malfoy scoffed.

"I'll be safe, right?" Hermione asked Blaise, trusting him to warn her if her safety was in jeopardy.

Blaise hesitated. "Nothing you couldn't handle. Who are the other blokes besides Nott and Corner?"

"How did you know about Michael–whatever. Terry Boot and Adrian Pucey."

"You should be fine around those blokes," he assured her.

"Adrian's made a move?" Malfoy asked delightedly. "Did not see that one coming."

"Though," Blaise added thoughtfully, "just in general, you should be wary about being dosed with love potions."

Before she could say anything to reflect how horrified she was by that warning, Malfoy spoke up.

"I thought that there was a clause–" He stopped mid-sentence when Blaise silenced him with a look.

"Clause?" Hermione asked.

"And I believe that's our cue," Blaise said as he stood up from his desk. "Some us have work to do, Granger."

"Fine." She knew a dismissal when she saw one. "But both of you should know that you are massive arseholes."

"Oh, we've known that for a while," Malfoy replied easily as she turned to leave. "Enjoy the calm before the storm, Granger."

The two Slytherins watched the Gryffindor as she stormed out of the office.

"I'm surprised she didn't at least attempt to shove veritaserum down our throats," Blaise commented casually as he sat back down in his desk. "Or threaten us with hexes."

"Well she has no idea what she's in for," Draco replied. "She only just knows that a bunch of blokes are suddenly into her. And I doubt she wants to be accused of being hysterical."

"Yeah, I would hate to be in her shoes," Blaise surmised. "So, any bets on what's going to happen?"

"Ten galleons she stomps in here on Monday and hexes you," Draco said with a chuckle.

"Nah, I've got the chosen one to protect me."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You really would pick Potty over Granger in a duel?"

"Bollocks."

"Exactly."

* * *

Blaise and Malfoy had been right.

Hermione was forced to admit it the next morning after scanning the alarming article that took up most of the Saturday edition of the _Daily Prophet_.

On the front page ran the headline: 'WIZENGAMOT ENACTS MARRIAGE LAW!'

According to the article, the general basis of the law was that all unmarried witches and wizards of age (and finished with schooling) were to get married within the next 365 days. That and all married couples were required to produce two magical offspring. The consequences of ignoring the law would either result in a stint in Azkaban, or an indefinite exile from the magical community. But it wasn't until she read the other stipulations of the law that she grasped what the two Slytherins had meant about understanding what was happening.

While the law allowed witches and wizards to choose their own spouse, however it required that all purebloods had to marry a muggleborn.

And she happened to be one of the most prominent muggleborn witches in Britain. The pureblood wizards weren't suddenly interested in dating her–they wanted to marry her. She groaned.

Fuck.


	2. The Storm

**II. The Storm**

"This is insanity," Hermione announced without introduction as she stepped out of the fireplace and into the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place. Both Harry and Ginny looked up upon her sudden arrival from their small, informal table. He seemed to be typing on his cell phone while she was frowning at their own copy of the newspaper.

"I was just about to call you," Harry informed Hermione, as she slammed her copy of the Prophet on the counter before joining the couple at the table.

"Bloody barbaric," Ginny commented, shaking her head. "I can't believe they passed this. You didn't know about it?"

Hermione shook her own head. "No, Wizengamot probably figured that people would try to prevent the legislation from passing when they found out about it." She frowned as she remembered her conversation with Blaise from Wednesday. That slippery bastard had been checking to see if she knew anything about the impending law. "Or at least if too many people learned about it."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, her eyebrows furrowed. Before Hermione could answer, they were interrupted by the familiar whooshing noise from the floo signaling another arrival. The three of them turned to find Ron and Susan entering the kitchen.

"Oh good, you're here," Ron said as he and his wife came over to join them at the table. Hermione noticed he was holding his own copy of the Prophet as well. "Well, not good that you're being forced to marry someone, and practically obligated to get hitched to some pureblood prat at that." Hermione decided that this probably wasn't the appropriate time to point out that he was a pureblood who she had almost gotten hitched to.

"It's bullshit," Susan deadpanned.

"At least I now know why I've become a sought after commodity overnight," Hermione said with a grimace.

She witnessed all four light bulbs light up above her friends' heads.

"Bloody hell," Ron swore before he furrowed his eyebrows. "Hold on, the article said that no one besides Wizengamot and the minister knew about the law until when it got passed last night. But these blokes have been coming on to you for the past week."

Hermione nodded. "I was just about to say that there must have been a leak. Plus yesterday I confronted Blaise about the odd behavior, and he told me that I would figure it out today. He must have already known that the Wizengamot was going to pass it last night, so it would be reported in the Prophet today." She decided to omit that it was technically Malfoy who had supplied that specific bit of information for the sake of staying on topic.

"You talked to Blaise about it? He knew about it?" Harry asked, running his fingers through his already disheveled locks. When she nodded, he added, "But why wouldn't he tell you outright?"

"Because he knew how I would react," Hermione explained without missing a beat. "That I would storm into Wizengamot and make a case against the bill, or at least start a filibuster so the law wouldn't be able to be passed until Monday at the least." She thought of Malfoy's comment about how they knew that if they told her what was happening, that she would go 'blabbing' about it. Again, they weren't wrong. Bloody Slytherins.

"Sure." Harry was still frowning at this recent revelation about his work partner. "I still don't understand why he would prevent you from doing that." He snorted. "Hell, that bloke loves being a bachelor. So I just don't get why would he approve of a law that would require him to get married and have kids."

She had thought about that too. "My best guess is that he knew it was already a done deal, and figured that my interference would probably only serve to expose the source of the leak."

"What else did he say?" Ginny asked.

"Just that I should expect even more suitors once this came out. And to be wary of love potion," Hermione supplied.

"Did you read the entire article?" Ron said to her, eyeing her curiously.

"No, I just got to the part about the requirements for purebloods, why?"

The corners of his mouth twitched. "Well this is a first," he remarked drily. "Unlike the rest of you ignorant sods, I actually read the entire thing, and the law includes a clause that enforces mandatory testing for the use of love potion or the imperius curse when couples submit their marriage application to the ministry for approval." Hermione instantly recalled Malfoy specifically mentioning a clause in response to Blaise's warning. "And it included that there would be testing related to the couple's health and fertility. You know, so the ministry can be even more invasive."

"But that doesn't necessarily prevent someone from using either techniques to lure you into a relationship, long before the application process," Susan pointed out before frowning. "Fuck," she cursed.

"What?" Ron asked.

His wife replied, "How do you think the less open minded purebloods are going to react to this?"

Now it was Harry's turn to swear. "Fuck."

"Our job is about to get a lot worse in the coming months," Susan said with a groan. Looking at Harry, she added unenthusiastically, "We should probably go into the office, it's going to be chaos." He nodded in agreement, yet both aurors remained in their seats.

"It won't be nearly as chaotic as it will be when every other Harpy is knocked up," Ginny grumbled. Hermione knew that Ginny wanted to get a few more seasons in before having children. The redhead sighed before turning to her husband. "We better get started right away so I'll only miss the pre-season."

Harry turned bright red while Ron pretended to have a sudden interest in a piece of fuzz on his shirt.

The two aurors left shortly after finishing their breakfasts, leaving Hermione with the Weasley siblings.

"What should I do about Adrian?" she asked them.

Ron shrugged. "Dunno," he supplied, as helpful as ever.

Ginny looked thoughtful. "While the entire situation is a bit weird," she eventually admitted. "I think you should still go on the date. Only if you really like him though. Because as much as I hate to say it, you need to find yourself a husband."

* * *

"Did you read the Prophet today? What am I saying, of course you did," Adrian said once they had both settled in a corner booth of the Leaky Cauldron. The establishment was more low key on a Saturday night compared to other bars, so they didn't have to worry about privacy. "I can't believe that even the minister signed off on it. Did you know anything about it?"

Hermione ignored his question. "Adrian, why did you ask me out?"

He blinked at her, briefly startled by her abruptness before he made a swift recovery "For a number of reasons: you're smart, attractive, and quite intriguing, just to name a few."

"Then don't insult my intelligence," she replied, not unkindly.

Surprisingly, he simply smirked at her (or not at all that surprising given that he was a Slytherin).

"Was I that obvious?" Adrian asked playfully. She was grateful he hadn't tried to convince her that his intentions were pure. It was probably the Gryffindor in her that made her impatient with anything that wasn't straightforward.

"Individually, it was quite smooth," Hermione assured as she flashed him a small smile of her own. "It was really the external factors: mostly the timing, and the fact that you weren't the only pureblood who suddenly showed an interest in me."

"There were others besides me before the news came out?"

She nodded. "You were the fourth since Monday," she informed him.

"Bloody hell. And here I thought I had an advantage by starting early," he said before taking a sip of his firewhiskey. "So you knew my motives weren't entirely pure, yet you're still here."

"Well if you read the law, then you would be aware that I am in need of a husband," she said. "And you're easy on the eyes."

He laughed. "The most important factor in determining if one is husband material, after all."

Hermione chuckled, his laugh was quite infectious. "You know, you said that you find me intriguing, but you might be the most charismatic person I've ever met. Besides Blaise of course."

Adrian's grin widened. "That is high praise. Are all Gryffindors as blunt as you are?"

As the night went on, Hermione found herself enjoying Adrian's company. And from what she could tell, he was having a good time as well. So she was surprised at the end of the night when he turned down her invitation for 'tea' in her flat.

"I really like you," he confessed as they finished their stroll through Diagon Alley. "If the situation was different, I would definitely take you up on your offer. But I'm in this for the long haul. I don't want our judgment of whether we're a suitable match to be impaired by us shagging."

She nodded in agreement. "That makes sense. I hadn't thought about it like that." She noticed he seemed to be hesitating. "Just spit it out. Nothing you could possibly say can be more off putting than the fact that we have to find spouses within a year."

"Nothing gets passed you, does it?" he said as he shook his head, giving her a genuine smile. "I wasn't sure how to go about this, but again thinking about the situation pragmatically–"

"Oh," Hermione interrupted when she realized where he was going with this. "I won't be upset if you're seeing other witches if that's what you're referring to." Judging by the way his shoulders relaxed, it was. "It's only practical given the circumstances."

"I'm glad you understand. Obviously you already have a number of suitors fawning for your attention so I wouldn't hold it against you for seeing any of them either."

She playfully elbowed him in the ribs. "Says one of the suitors fawning for my attention." She paused as he laughed. "Though my only condition would be that if you're somewhat upfront about my ranking, if that makes sense. Basically all I ask is that you don't string me along so I believe I'm your number one choice only to be left in the dust when you decide on someone else."

He nodded. "So if things get more serious with another witch or wizard, we'll let each other know. That seems fair to me."

They returned to the Leaky to use the floo. Before Hermione stepped into the flames, Adrian grabbed her hand and pulled her towards his chest so their faces were only centimeters apart. He hesitated, ever the gentleman, gauging her response. When she tilted her chin up, ever so slightly, he leaned in, his lips meeting hers.

The kiss was soft and slow, but Hermione still felt a spark. It wasn't entirely chaste, as he deepened it only for a couple of moments (regretfully) before he pulled back.

"I had a good time tonight," he said with a lazy grin that melted her heart a bit. In the light of the bar she noticed that his eyes appeared to be more green than light blue. "I'll owl you."

"Good," she told him as she stepped into the fireplace.

* * *

Hermione was tempted to skip the weekly brunch at the Burrow, but when Harry texted her saying that he had something to give her she figured she might as well get it over with.

She regretted the decision as soon as she stepped into the Weasley's living room. Immediately she was greeted by Ron.

"Ok, don't get mad," he prefaced, which was her first red flag. Hell, it raised multiple bloody flags. "But I may or may not have mentioned your situation to George at the shop yesterday, and he may or may not have told everyone."

"Ron!" she cried, smacking him on the shoulder. "You complete git!"

Before he could respond, George appeared.

"Hermione!" he shouted his greeting, giving away her location before she could hop back into the fireplace. As he stepped forward to hug her, both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley filed into the room, followed by Percy, Bill, and Angelina. While they pulled apart, he asked, "So tell us, how does it feel to be the unanimous, number one prospect for pureblood wizards in need of a wife?"

She glared at him.

"George!" Mrs. Weasley admonished as she wrapped Hermione in a tight squeeze. "You poor thing. I swear, tomorrow I might just head into the ministry myself and give Kingsley a piece of my mind."

"Please don't," Percy said weakly. He was the minister's undersecretary.

"It's bloody ridiculous," Angelina said as she stepped forward to give Hermione another hug. "Imagine if they had passed it sooner," she added when she took a step back and turned to her husband. "Then it would've been illegal for us to get married."

"Then it's a good thing I knocked you up with Fred Jr. when I did," George replied in earnest, earning a smack from his wife. "Ow!"

It was a sunny September afternoon, so Molly insisted that they all eat outside on the long picnic table that seemed to grow whenever there was a marriage or birth. Hermione had hoped that in the chaos of everyone coming together to eat, the topic of her unusual situation might be forgotten.

It was not.

"So Hermione, is it true you already have thirteen suitors, or is George just exaggerating?" Bill asked loudly from the other end of the table, before receiving a playful swat from his wife. While the table didn't become completely silent, however it certainly quieted so no one would miss her response.

"He's exaggerating," Hermione replied.

"Yeah," Ron added after swallowing a forkful of scrambled eggs. "It's only four."

"Ron!" she hissed as she elbowed him in the ribs. "Just stop talking." But it was too late. Judging from the buzz of conversation, the Weasley's and their guests were giving her their utmost attention.

"Een one week alone?" Fleur asked, her pale eyebrows raised. Hermione was suddenly met with a wave of sympathy for the part-veela. She had probably been dealing with multiple men coming on to her since she was seventeen.

"Well, five actually," Hermione amended. When her friends sitting around her gave her confused or annoyed looks, she sighed. "Roger sent me an owl this morning."

"Oh I adored Roger," Molly commented. "I never understood why you two broke up."

Well, one of the reasons was that he loathed coming to the Burrow. But Molly didn't need to know that.

"Oh Roger!" Fleur said cheerfully. "'E eez such a charming and 'andsome man, no?"

"I don't know, I have my money on Pucey," George announced gleefully.

"You told him about Adrian?" Hermione seethed at Ron. Before he could respond, a copy of today's edition of Witch Weekly landed on top of her plate.

"George!" Molly reprimanded.

On the cover was a photo of Hermione and Adrian walking past Flourish and Blotts. The moving image revealed that they were holding hands, and that something Adrian had said to her had caused her to tilt her head back and close her eyes as she laughed.

"Oh bollocks," she muttered.

"Nah, I'd bet on Nott," Ginny loudly declared, ignoring the dirty looks from Hermione and Harry. "He used a conversation about elves rights to flirt with Hermione." This earned a bout of laughter from the table. Even Hermione chuckled inwardly; petty enough to refuse giving Ginny the satisfaction of hearing her laugh.

"It's okay, Hermione," Luna said airily. "Dean has been getting more attention than usual too."

That made sense, Dean was a well-known, successful auror, and good looking to boot. Only he already had a girlfriend. Who was a pureblood. Lucky fucker.

"Which witches have been hitting on Dean?" Ron asked, intrigued.

The blonde shrugged. "I'm not sure. He just mentioned some of Tracy's friends had used visiting her as an excuse to approach him." Tracy Davis was one of the other Slytherins besides Blaise who had become an auror.

"Yeah, Nott did the same thing," Harry mentioned before his face suddenly became serious. Without any warning, he slammed his glass of pumpkin juice onto the table and turned to Hermione with a scowl. "And Blaise helped him! He knows about our Tuesday lunches and in order to get rid of me, he told me he saw some journalists lurking and mentioning something about another Ginny pregnancy rumor." He shook his head. "That bloody snake!"

"Holy shit," Hermione swore in agreement.

"So does any work ever actually get done in the MLE?" Ginny asked.

"Hey!" cried out Arthur, the head of the entire MLE department, from the head of the table.

Stuffed and ready to take a post-brunch nap, Hermione said her goodbyes, which mostly consisted of her thanking Molly for the wonderful food and ignoring her less than subtle hints regarding Charlie's lack of a partner.

"Oh before you go, I have this," Harry said as he handed her an envelope with her name written across it. "Bloody Blaise sent it to me, but it's from Nott. Apparently he owled you yesterday not knowing that most of your mail gets forwarded to the ministry to be sorted."

"Oh bollocks," Hermione blurted as she took the envelope. "My poor assistant is going to be swamped with mail tomorrow."

"Yeah if I were you, I would most definitely request a temp to help you out," her friend advised. "Also I'm going to get Blaise back for being a git, so if you have any creative ideas on how to go about doing that, feel free to share them."

Hermione laughed before approaching Arthur about an extra temporary assistant for the week.

When she got home, she made a beeline for her bed, feeling weighed down by her full stomach. Once she was tucked underneath the covers, she removed the red wax seal, and opened the letter.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _I hear you're interested in learning my opinion regarding the treatment of squibs. I would love to discuss the issue further sometime–preferably over drinks. Especially now that the ministry enacted this law that addresses the low population in Wizarding Britain, blood status, and reproduction._

 _Seeing as our contact is limited, I would greatly appreciate it if you could respond with a time and date to meet at your convenience._

 _Regards,_

 _Theo_

Hermione smirked at the parchment. Theo was certainly clever, she would give him that. He knew that she now knew the truth; that the jig was up. And she also knew that come tomorrow, she would receive even more offers, and that she probably shouldn't spread herself too thin. Yet she found herself wanting to see where things led with him. She was definitely attracted to him. More so than Michael or Terry, which wasn't saying all that much. And it wasn't even because Theo was bloody gorgeous. Well, maybe slightly. But it was mostly due to his wit.

Using the pen and parchment she kept by her bed, she wrote back to him.

 _Nott,_

 _I see you've been talking to Blaise. He can be quite loquacious when he isn't feigning ignorance about life-altering laws that are slated to pass. Imagine my surprise when he told me that advocating for the fair treatment of squibs was a particular passion of yours! Honestly, the more I learn about you, the more I believe you should have been sorted into Gryffindor. But I digress._

 _I'm free Tuesday at seven if that works for you. If you don't mind, I would prefer to meet at a muggle establishment to avoid unnecessary attention. Notoriety is such a burden._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Granger_

 _P. S. I've updated my wards to allow your owl to find my flat._

With a sigh, Hermione got out of bed and went out to the little balcony attached to her bedroom where her owl Taurus was perched, enjoying the beautiful weather.

Taurus had been a gift from Ron and Harry after Crookshanks passed away a few years ago (the month after she and Ron mutually agreed to call of their wedding no less). The bird was a great horned owl, and objectively quite hideous. His eyes were huge amber orbs punctuated by a heavy brow that made it appear as if he glaring at whoever he was looking at, and his tawny feathers seemed to be permanently ruffled.

Hermione adored him. While he was similar to Crookshanks in the respect that neither creature met the conventional criteria of beauty, however they were opposites in terms of demeanor: unlike her cat, the owl was a complete sweetheart.

She petted Taurus affectionately before handing him the letter for Theo. She watched as he flew into the clear sky. Of course it wasn't until the owl was only a black speck that Hermione remembered she had to respond to Roger's letter. Hoping Theo lived in London as well, she went back inside and exited her bedroom to make her way into her kitchen where she had left the letter. She read it again.

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _I have no doubt you know about the archaic law the ministry has passed. I am writing to you because I firmly believe that in regards to this law, the most prudent course of action would be for us to join in matrimony. I am sure you agree with this notion given our significant history. I am aware that this isn't the most romantic of proposals, but I am sure you understand my desire to be upfront and concise given the extenuating circumstances._

 _I suggest we discuss this matter further in person. I am available to meet for lunch on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday; after work (6-9 PM) on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. I look forward to hearing from you._

 _With love,_

 _Roger_

 _P. S. I miss you._

Hermione couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing how one letter was able to summarize her feelings regarding her ex-boyfriend. Roger tended to be pretentious, stiff, and unwaveringly logical. But then he would go and surprise her by doing something achingly sweet, like adding a simple 'I miss you' at the end of a letter.

She hunkered down and began her response, even though Taurus was yet to return. She figured she should get it over with.

* * *

The next morning, Hermione woke up at the crack of dawn to get ready for work. It was a miserable process, but worth it when she entered the nearly empty atrium of the Ministry.

When she reached her office, she immediately felt her good mood begin to wilt when she opened the outer door of her office and saw the growing mountain of envelopes on her assistant's desk.

"Morning Hermione," Jack greeted her with possibly the least enthusiastic smile she had ever seen. He had been her assistant for almost two years now. Thus he knew to come early when these kinds of things occurred.

"Don't worry Jack, I spoke with Arthur yesterday, and he'll be sending someone to help you sort through that," she informed him, nodding at the second desk across the room that hadn't been there on Friday.

He exhaled. "Oh thank Merlin. This is one hundred times worse than when you had lunch with Krum last Spring."

Her morning was chaotic to say the least. Since it was Monday, at eight she had to brace herself to enter the hallway as she made her way to the lift to attend the inter departmental meeting in the conference room on the floor of the minister's office. Luckily she had Arthur, and Penelope Clearwater (the head of the Auror Office) to walk with and serve as a buffer. Still, that didn't stop a wizards from trying to approach her (or Penelope for that matter), especially some of the other high up wizards at the meeting. Hermione steadily glared at Kingsley. Not that she entirely blamed him for her current predicament, there was a serious population problem after all. But still, it felt somewhat satisfying.

It was somewhat of the same thing during the MLE department meeting. Except she was able to witness a couple of witches approach Dean. Meanwhile she had to deal with his, Harry's, and Susan's snickering when Cormac McLaggen attempted to corner her. Both meetings addressed expectations regarding the new law.

After meeting with Arthur and Penelope, Hermione was able to return to her office and hole up there for the rest of her morning.

"Michael Corner is here to see you," Jack's voice came through the intercom around noon.

"Send him in," Hermione instructed.

"Hey Hermione," Michael greeted as he shut the door behind him. "I brought gyros this time."

"Wait," she said, holding up her hands when he moved to take one of the chairs across from her. He froze. "Before you sit down, I just want to clarify a few things first."

He had the audacity to appear confused. "Sure, what's up?"

"Really? You didn't think I would realize what you're trying to do?"

"Well I hoped you would figure out that I'm interested in you," he replied confidently. Hermione resisted the urge to hex him.

"So it's just a coincidence that you suddenly showed an interest in me right before Wizengamot passed a law that would require you to marry a witch of my blood status?"

His facade cracked. "Er, yes?"

"Bloody hell Michael," Hermione cursed, leaning back and folding her arms. "If you drop the act, I'll consider you as a potential spouse."

The Ravenclaw blinked. "Really? Just like that?"

"Sit down," she commanded. "You're smart when you're not being a complete prat, you're a nice enough bloke, and not bad to look at. I assume those are probably the same reasons you picked me." Maybe that was a bit of a lie, but she didn't think it would be a good idea to tell him that she mostly thought of him as a solid backup option. Especially considering that objectively, he was a catch. But compared to Theo, Adrian, and Roger, he ranked last. "Though you do understand that you aren't the only wizard I am considering."

Michael gave her an easy smile as he handed her a gyro. "I expected as much."

Lunch with Michael was nice, but she didn't feel the same pull she felt with Adrian or Theo. Still, she didn't think she would necessarily mind being married to Michael, or raising children with him. It would probably be much like a marriage to Ron, or Roger, might have been: safe. And Hermione wasn't entirely convinced that was enough for her.

* * *

A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone for all of the favorites/follows/comments! As a new writer, every bit of feedback means the world to me!

Also some housekeeping stuff:

-I like to pretend that robes/dress robes aren't really a thing in the wizarding world

-I'm going to try my best to update every week, but I can't make any promises, especially given that it's the holidays, I'm moving across the country in less than six weeks, and just that ADHD is both a blessing and a curse. (But I will try to upload the third chapter sooner to make up for missing last week, and also tbh this isn't my favorite chapter, but necessary to move the plot along).

-Lastly, feel free to check out my tumblr! regina-nox[. tumblr . com]


	3. Touch The Sky

**III. Touch The Sky**

"You sir," Hermione said as she approached Harry and Blaise's adjoining desks, her heels clicking against the marble floor, "are an arse of the highest degree." It was Tuesday afternoon, so she had ventured out of her office to collect Harry. But that didn't mean she couldn't squeeze in a few minutes to rip Blaise a new one.

The Slytherin wore a mask of complete and utter innocence.

"If anyone should be angry, it's me," Harry said as he stood up. "Betrayed by my very own partner."

"All's fair in love and war, Potter," Blaise quoted, his familiar smirk returning with a vengeance.

"Harry," Penelope suddenly called from her office. "I need to speak with you about the Hitchcock case."

"I'll be right back," Harry assured Hermione before following his boss.

"So I saw those _darling_ photos of you and Adrian in _Witch Weekly_ ," Blaise mentioned conversationally. When Hermione shot him a curious look, he added smoothly, "I subscribe for the recipes."

" _Sure_."

" _Anyway_ , it seemed like you had a good time. Are you going to see him again?"

Hermione plopped down into Harry's chair as her feet were getting a bit sore. "That is none of your business."

"Indulge an old flame. I already know you're seeing Theo tonight. On that note, I completely forgot how hideous your owl is."

"Taurus is an acquired taste." She hesitated, biting her lip. "Blaise–"

He waved a hand dismissively. "Neither Theo nor Adrian know about us, and they won't unless you tell them. Which you should probably do if things get serious. But who am I to tell you how to live your life?"

"What about Malfoy?" She didn't need the albino snake outting her before she could inform his friends of her history with Blaise.

Blaise shook his head. "I didn't tell any of my mates. And before you accuse me of being ashamed of you, it was because I didn't want to be held culpable in case the more illicit details came out and harmed your political career."

Hermione stared at him for a moment. "Is that your weird, twisted Slytherin way of saying you care about me?"

"I don't understand the question and I won't respond to it," he sniffed.

She decided to take advantage of the rare, genuine moment between them. "So how come you haven't offered your services as a potential trophy husband? Don't even think about denying that you like me as a friend, because I know you do. We both find each other attractive, and we already know the sex would be fantastic."

Blaise leaned back in his chair with his hands folded behind his head and flashed her a lazy grin. "Why Granger, are you making me an offer?"

"Maybe I am," she said boldly. It wasn't as if she had anything to lose.

"Wow, the most eligible bachelorette is interested in little ol' me? I must say, I am honored. Truly."

"Stop being an arse."

"But it's so much fun." She gave him a pointed look. "Fine, impatient much." He sighed as he sat up straight to face her head on. "All of the points you've made are flattering as well as true. I do believe we could have an amazing marriage."

"But..."

"Well for starters, you're bloody impatient. I'm trying to be a gentleman about this." He scowled at her. "Honestly, if I wasn't already in love with someone else, I would consider pursuing you as well. That and because I'm not technically a pureblood–my father was a half-blood–I figure there is already enough competition for your hand." He paused. "Are you saying you would pick me over Theo or Adrian? We both know they're better suited for you than Corner or Boot are–don't even bother trying to deny it."

"Oh no you don't," Hermione shook her head at Blaise. "You're in love?"

"Lower your voice," he hissed at her before glancing around as if to make sure his fellow aurors hadn't heard her.

"Blaise Zabini has actual, real feelings?" she whispered in mock disbelief. "It must be the end of days."

"This is exactly why I don't tell you these things," he huffed, folding his arms over his chest again.

"I'll stop making fun of you if you tell me who it is."

Unfortunately, before Blaise could respond, Harry reappeared.

"Ready?" he said.

She nodded before she stood up. "We should eat outside. The weather is supposed to be _love_ -ly today." Blaise narrowed his eyes at her.

"You sure?" Harry asked as he locked up his desk. "Between the photographers and admirers, that might not be the best idea."

They actually ended up sitting outside a cafe in Muggle London.

"So I really need your help getting Blaise back," Harry declared as he put down his menu. "George and Ron–hell Gin too–have provided great sources for inspiration, but they don't know the slippery git like you and I do."

Hermione nodded. "If you want to teach him a lesson, you need to outsmart him–beat him at his own game."

"Exactly!"

"Then we'll need to plan this properly..."

By the time they finished brainstorming, their food had arrived.

"So, how have you been doing?" Harry asked, adjusting his glasses before he picked up his turkey club wrap.

"Well for starters, I now have an even better understanding of what your life has been like. Not the fame aspect, obviously, but the feeling as if everyone wants a piece of you," Hermione confessed as she lightly drizzled dressing over her chicken caesar salad.

He winced. "At least it'll end by next September, even sooner if you get married earlier."

She made a face. "I can't get over the irony of it all. The reason I'm still single is because of my aversion to commitment, and now because I'm single I'm being forced to make the ultimate commitment."

He raised his eyebrows as he gave her a curious look. "Care to elaborate?" Harry prompted before taking another bite.

"It's not as if I'm opposed to commitment as a principle, it's just I haven't found anyone that I knew I wanted to fully commit to," she tried to explain.

He nodded as he swallowed. "You haven't found your Ginny or Susan. A person who makes you think: this is everything that I didn't even know I was looking for."

"Exactly," Hermione agreed when she finished chewing. "That was actually quite poignant of you."

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

After they both laughed, Harry added, "So is that what happened with you and Roger? You never wanted to talk about it so we all kind of assumed he was the one who ended things."

She sighed, forking more salad. "I didn't want to talk about it because I felt like a complete arsehole," she confessed. "But yes, I was the one who ended things. Sort of."

"Well then I'm especially glad Ron and Ginny talked me out of storming into his office to give him a piece of my mind," Harry said with a chuckle.

"Harry!" she gasped, horrified. "Be extra bloody grateful because I would have ended your lucky streak with the killing curse." She took a moment to collect herself before she admitted, "Roger wanted us to move in together, and I realized I wasn't ready to give up my space for him."

"And that's why you broke up with him?" Harry asked, his brows furrowing. When she nodded, taking a sip of her water, he added, "Why didn't you just wait and stay with him until you were ready to take that step?"

"Oh no, you misunderstand," she said, shaking her head. "Roger had been dropping hints about it for awhile, and I kept brushing him off until he finally made an ultimatum: either we move in together or we break up."

Harry frowned. "Still, that doesn't seem really fair. I mean I know you two had been together for what, a year and a half? But to give you an ultimatum seems unnecessary."

Hermione grimaced. "The thing is, I'm grateful he did. It made me realize that I would much rather break up with him than take our relationship to the next level. It wasn't just that I didn't want to start living with him in July, but I couldn't see myself ever wanting to live with him. I loved Roger–and I still do in a way–but not in the right way I suppose. It's difficult to explain."

"Kinda sounds like what you said when you and Ron ended things. That you care about him and want him in your life, but not as your partner."

"Exactly!" Hermione said. "They're both great, and I do treasure my friendships with them, but–" she stopped herself.

"You were bored," Harry finished for her.

"Exactly," she repeated, although this time she was grimacing again. "Which was why I felt so bad when I ended things, because I should have ended them a lot sooner. Hell, I should have done it when he made his first ultimatum."

Harry raised a curious eyebrow. "This wasn't the first time?"

Hermione smirked. "No. For the first five months of our relationship, we were not exclusive. And then Roger insisted either we become exclusive, or he was gone. And I fancied him enough at the time to agree and give our relationship a proper shot."

Harry's brow furrowed.

"But I thought–"

"Seeing as I'm a bit of a celebrity, I kept my other trysts discreet lest they grace the gossip columns."

"Well you could have told us that you were seeing other blokes besides Roger."

"Ginny and Susan knew." In response to Harry's indignant expression, she added, "You and Ron get weird when it comes to my sex life."

Harry scoffed. "You're being ridiculous. We're both mature adults–we don't care who you have sex with."

Hermione eyed him speculatively. "Really? So if I told you that I had sex with, say, Blaise, you wouldn't care?"

Harry's left eye twitched. "No."

She said nothing as she just waited, chewing on her salad.

"I mean," he continued, sputtering as he raked his fingers through his already disheveled black locks. "Would I care that he's my partner and you're my best friend? Yes. And is he a bit promiscuous? I would say so. But it's your life, your body, you do you." He paused suddenly, a smile slowly forming. "Wait, you're just saying that to mess with me. Well, congratulations, you got me."

"Oh no," she told him, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. "Blaise and I were friends with benefits for almost a year until I had to end it when things with Roger got serious. I probably shagged him more times than I did Ron or Roger." For a brief moment she recalled pleasant memories of Blaise coming to her office after hours. That Slytherin had proven that he had a silver tongue in more ways than one. It was somewhat comical how Harry had never figured it out despite it occurring practically right under his nose. He really was the most oblivious observant person she had ever met.

"But–but he's Blaise, and you're you and he most definitely did not have pure, honorable intentions and how dare he–"

"Harry–"

"–and you deserve to be courted by no less than a prince who will treat you like the amazing, strong, independent woman you are. Just who does he think he is? If he knows what's good for him, he'll never touch you again–no, he won't even look at you. If he does, I'll hex his balls off. What am I saying?" He shook his head. "I'm going to hex his balls off anyway."

"Harry!" Hermione smacked the table for emphasis. That seems to break his righteous train of thought as he silently blinked at her for a moment. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you."

Harry grimaced when he spoke again (after taking a much needed deep breath). "Ok fine you're right, maybe Ron and I get a little protective–"

"Weird. You get weird."

"–when it comes to you and... other men, but you do realize how this is much worse. Hermione, do you know what Blaise and I discuss when we're stuck on stakeouts that last for hours on end, with only ourselves for entertainment? We exchange deets, Hermione. _Deets_."

She sighed. "I don't see how that's relevant, I haven't shagged him in over a year–"

"It means I know a lot more about Blaise's sexual encounters than you think." Harry's eyes widened in realization. "Oh Godric, so when he used to tell me about that mystery 'ministry Gryffindor hellcat' he was shagging, he was talking about you?"

"Uh... _no_?"

He gave her a funny look. "You like to be span–" Hermione covered his mouth before he could finish.

"Let's not do this."

* * *

Hermione couldn't stop thinking about her conversation with Harry for the rest of the day. She had been so sure she had made the right call with Roger, but Harry's comments made her reconsider. Maybe she had been too hasty in ending their relationship. And now she had the perfect opportunity to reexamine how she felt about her most recent ex-boyfriend.

Then again, Hermione hadn't even thought of Roger when she found out about the law–not until she received his owl. Nor had she had any regrets since breaking things off between them–other than not doing it sooner. Like with Ron, she had been slow to realize she needed something else to make the relationship feel like less of a burden. The issue, however, was that she had no idea what exactly that was.

Hermione was grown up enough to know that sparks weren't meant to last in relationships, least of all marriage, but she also knew that she wouldn't be happy in an arrangement that was entirely complacent. With both Ron and Roger, she still felt that relentless itch to explore chemistry with other men she encountered.

But now, as she said to Harry, she was being forced to marry some bloke. One person, for the rest of her life. It was probably the perfectionist in her that found the prospect so daunting. Hermione had always wanted to be sure the man she married was the one. Maybe she could find someone who would agree to having an open marriage. Having studied the law, liaisons outside the marriage weren't prohibited, as long as they didn't result in offspring.

Adrian would definitely not agree to an open marriage, Hermione mused. While he wasn't a bigoted or elitist pureblood, however she had gotten the sense that he was still very traditional in certain aspects. Still, he had this charismatic aura that drew her in. Perhaps she could be satisfied with just him.

Blaise would certainly not be opposed to an open marriage–it practically would be the same arrangement they used to have, only with children involved. And she certainly wouldn't mind bearing his children. It would be interesting to explore monogamy with him. During their dalliance, Hermione had never let herself think of him as anything more than a friend who she got off with as she knew he wasn't available in that regard.

"So I'm going to just go ahead and assume that Potter finally found out about us?"

Speak of the devil.

Hermione looked up from the papers on her desk to find Blaise standing in her doorway. Sporting a black eye.

"Damnit Harry."

* * *

"So," Theo said once their drinks arrived. "Squibs."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "We don't actually have to talk about squibs."

His shoulders immediately relaxed. "Oh thank bloody Merlin," he sighed. "Don't get me wrong, I do think there is more work to be done in regards to how squibs are treated in the Wizarding community. But I had a long day and don't really feel in the mood to properly discuss such a nuanced topic." He took a sip of his whiskey. "And speaking of nuanced topics, what are your thoughts on the new law?"

"Just going to dive right in there, huh?"

Theo grinned at her, showing off the dimple made him appear even more cheeky.

"Of course. Unless you wanted to spend the night artfully dodging the elephant troll in the room."

Hermione had to stop herself from complaining about the two suitors who had attempted to do just that. The situation was somewhat public enough without her volunteering the private details.

"No, I'd rather face that matter head on," she said. "Believe it or not." She took a swig of her beer.

Theo chuckled. "You? I would never have guessed."

The corner of her mouth twitched as she set the bottle back on the surface of the bar. They were in one of the more trendy, but laid back, bars in her neighborhood. It wasn't her regular though–she figured it might appear odd to the employees if she suddenly brought a whole rotation of men to the muggle pub she and her friends liked to frequent.

"Where to start? Well I don't think that I've fully processed it all quite yet, to be honest," Hermione confessed. "That supposedly within a year I'll be married and already trying for children."

Theo nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, well you've only known for what, four days now?"

"As I wasn't privy to the legislation's existence until the law was passed, yes." She eyed him speculatively. "But you've known for at least a week."

"More. I heard you came close to figuring it out though."

Hermione shook her head. "Not in a million years would I have guessed wizengamot was passing a marriage and offspring law. No, the closest I got was that pureblood wizards needed me for some kind of secret ritual. Or that I was the subject of some elaborate prank. Which I guess was somewhat close as this law is a bloody joke."

"Yeah, sorry I didn't think of how weird it might seem, having all of these wizards suddenly coming onto you," said Theo. "I'm not going to lie by saying I wish I had gone about it differently–or that I should have just told you my motives upfront. I wanted to get on your radar before it was too late, and well I definitely couldn't tell you the truth."

"No," Hermione admitted, finding his bluntness refreshing, "you couldn't have told me. I would have marched right down to the Wizengamot and made a mess of things."

Theo's eyebrows rose. "So I take it Blaise explained everything?"

"No, I've only spoken with him briefly since the news broke," she said. "I just figured that the only reason why no one would want me to confront the Wizengamot was because the law would pass with or without my interference, and my involvement would consequently reveal the leak."

"Who knew you had brains as well as looks?" Theo teased flirtatiously. "If you're curious–which you probably are–you should ask Blaise about it. He's the one who warned me. In our defense, us purebloods have less options than you. You can still marry anyone regardless of blood-status."

Hermione nodded as something Malfoy had said came back to her. "And I'm sure you quickly realized I would be a quite the coveted witch."

Theo winked at her. "So you're still processing the law, but can I ask you what your thoughts are regarding marriage and having kids?"

Adrian had asked her the same thing, albeit worded slightly differently, and she gave Theo the same answer.

"I definitely have always wanted both," she told him before adding, "Only I wanted them someday rather than anytime soon. What about you?"

Adrian almost had the same answer, save that he had wanted to settle down as soon as possible.

Theo smiled warily. "If I'm being honest, I was somewhat indifferent. But now I guess I'm up for it."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, again taken aback by his candor. There was an awkward pause.

His grin became wry. "See, on one hand I feel like this line of inquiry is a bit too intense for a first date, but on the other hand, we're also actively trying to figure out if we're suited for one another."

"That's exactly how I feel!" Hermione exclaimed. "I should really make a chart, or a table–no, a timeline of topics and when they should be covered."

Theo barked out a laugh. "Make me a copy? Actually you should just make all of your suitors fill out a questionnaire for you. Would be a lot more efficient."

Hermione laughed with him, but internally she was seriously considering it.

"How about we start with the basics?" Hermione suggested. "Let's pretend we're just normal people on a normal first date."

"Sounds good."

"So, Nott," she said. "Tell me, what exactly do you do for a living?"

"I'm a cursebreaker. Are you ok?" Theo asked while she choked on her drink.

Hermione coughed, hoping she didn't appear too flustered. "Yes, so sorry. Please continue."

* * *

"Wait," Hermione said breathily, "should we be doing this?"

Theo lifted his head so his green eyes met hers as he shot her an incredulous look. "Is that a trick question?"

They were both naked, in her bed, with Theo's head situated between her thighs. She didn't know about him, but she was thoroughly buzzed.

She shook her head. "No, it's just well–I am really enjoying this."

The corners of his mouth twitched. "Glad to hear it."

"But we're trying to sort out if we're compatible for a long-term marriage, right? We don't want our hormones to impair our judgment," Hermione explained as she recalled her conversation with Adrian.

Theo nodded as he seemed to consider her words. "Look," he finally said after a moment of deliberation. "If you don't want to have sex with me, I completely respect your decision and won't try to pressure you. That being said, while you make a valid point, however I respectfully disagree. And not just because I want to get in your pants." He licked his lips. "But I personally believe shagging is a major factor in deciding compatibility. Obviously the first time is never perfect, but we'd definitely know if it didn't work. And practice makes perfect."

Hermione considered what he said. She had thought along similar lines after her date with Adrian. Sex was bloody important, but she didn't want to allow pleasure to cloud her thoughts when deciding on her potential husband. Then again, she remembered that she had given up fabulous sex with Blaise to devote more time to Roger, who might not have been as gifted a lover, but he stimulated her intellectually. Well, he had once upon a time. Though she would have been lying to herself if she thought that was the only reason she had ended things with Blaise.

"You're right," she conceded as she tugged on his messy chestnut locks. "I am nothing if not thorough after all."

* * *

 **A/N:** Heyyyy

So remember when I said I was going to update this weekly? Lol me neither

Sorry about the lack of Dramione action, but don't worry: our favorite blonde Slytherin will be making an appearance in the next chapter! (Which is already partly written so I'm hoping to update in three weeks if I'm being realistic)

I just wanted to thank everyone for your support, you really have no idea how much it means to me (like I probably would have just abandoned this fic–as much as I love it–if it weren't for your comments so thanks especially for those!)

Also thank you everyone who wished me a happy holiday! I hope you all had a lovely holiday as well (I'm just going to pretend Christmas wasn't over a month ago lol). If you happened to finally hook up with a cute guy from your hometown who you've had a flirtationship with for years only to promptly make a fool of yourself in front of him: you are not alone!

Find me on tumblr: Regina-Nox

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! (And ten points to whoever spots the Arrested Development quote)

xoxo Regina


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